Jori and the J. Bird

A journal of events, inspirations and ideas of artist, Jori Louise Cheville

4.05.2010

Here is information about the current show I am participating in! The show is made up of 20+ talented, local women artists. I'll give you a sneak peek of my painting but you should visit the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center to see it fully....it's up through May, so you have plenty of time! ;)

Thanks Kevin Dowd for the photo!

Group Exhibition

Dates: April 2nd through May 28th, 2010 (April 2nd & May 7th First Friday)

Description: This exhibit brings together a diverse group of Kansas City’s most talented women artists working in a variety of media. Artists were asked to submit works that answer the question: “Who Does She Think She Is?” The intent is to create a collection of autobiographical works that are evocative and emotionally charged, yet personal and narrative.

3.02.2010

Some big news…well at least for me it is! I have applied to the Visual Arts Graduate Program at the University of Kansas.My application materials were due February 1 and they said I should hear an answer within 6-8 weeks.I am really satisfied with the images I submitted and the statement I wrote, not to mention how thankful I am for the wonderful people providing references for me!I chose to apply to the sculpture department.My bachelor’s degree is in ceramics and my current work, although mixed media, is heavily based in painting.

I think to gain a wide range of knowledge in different mediums is going to be crucial to my growth in my work.In the sculpture department I will have the freedom to do so.

So I will definitely be writing again in the near future to let you know if I am a Jayhawk or not :)

A few other exciting things going on right now, I am helping a painter, Wilbur Niewald, for a few months.I mentioned his work in a previous post and it is a pleasure to be working with him. Maybe I'll brush up on my oil painting skills in the process.

I have new paintings in progress soon to be seen in Kansas City.First at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in April… the show will be up through May.And in June, my work will be shown at The Foundation, located in the West Bottoms.I will have all the information you need posted here closer to the dates of the shows.

10.11.2009

...which is now located in my apartment! Slightly cramped but I can make it work. The paintings shown here are now finished and are currently up at Mildred's Coffeehouse 1821 Wyandotte in KC,MO 64108 until the end of October. Come by, grab some good coffee (needed in this COLD weather!) and maybe add to your art collection! ;)

4.23.2009

I have been missing in action from this blog but for good reason!! I am in a musical and I have been rehearsing for about 8 weeks. Finally, opening night is tomorrow and I am nervous but I know it will be a success! We have an amazing staff and cast that have taught me so much...considering it is my first time acting, I had alot to learn. We have 10 performances lined up over the next 3 weekends. Please join us on our "trip" back to 1968!

2.11.2009

I recently had the opportunity to judge a juried art exhibition for the first time. My dear friend and mentor, Holly, and I took a day trip to St. Joseph, MO to judge the show at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. It was a lovely day filled with driving, talking, viewing art and blackberry cobbler with ice cream :)

On this trip I picked up a book that is a retrospective of Wilbur Niewald, a familiar painter to Kansas City, but somehow I have managed to live here for 9 years and never hear of him. This is surprising considering that I graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, as did he, and he was also a professor in the painting department for 43 years! Niewald is known for his cityscapes and landscapes, which depict hills and urban vistas familiar to many Kansas City area residents. Since the 1970s, he has created landscapes, portraits and still-life paintings directly from observation. I was specifically drawn to the painting shown below ( Kansas City, View of the River 2007 by Wilbur Niewald ) because if you look closely, in the far distance there are some grain silos.

I see those exact grain silos up close almost everyday right outside the windows of Songbird Cafe! I work at the cafe but it is also my favorite hangout, primarily because it is owned by my best friend, Courtney but it does serve the best coffee in town.

To view these beautiful silos up close yourself and enjoy some coffee at the cafe...Join us this Friday, the 13th, from 7-9 for the showing of photographs by Hannah Huffman. Songbird Cafe is located at 1315 Fairfax Trfwy, KCK 66115. We are also open weekdays from 7ish to about 3 :)

12.22.2008

Oh my! I certainly have been absent for a while since my show. It was a much needed break after long, hard days of work, sleeping in studio and eating Ramen. Now I have been getting plenty of rest and eating real food :)

Just two days til Christmas! I am in Atlanta with my family and thoroughly enjoying the company. I am anxious to get to work at studio. I have so many ideas floating around in my head and I am terrible at documenting them. So they eventually float away if I don't put them to use.

I started a new painting, a self portrait... I am a bit uneasy about venturing into this subject matter but every artist goes there eventually and I figure now is a better time than ever! I will post the finished piece as soon as it's done. I haven't decided if it will have tiles. I think I need to work on my painting skills...I want my paintings to be able to stand alone as successful pieces and then the tile work would just be an added bonus to make my work stand apart from others.

I also have been commissioned to tile a fireplace in Kansas City, KS. It is a freestanding fireplace that has a very retro feel to it...very cool! (similar to the one below) I will be tiling the wall behind it.

It should be finished near the end of January!

That's all for now...once I am back in the swing of things in studio I will post lots of pictures and keep you updated on all the happenings. FYI: we have a studio available for rent at J.Bird! Please let me know if you are interested or if you know anyone who may be. Thanks.